August is nearly over! Let’s talk books!
Catherine: I’ve just finished reading This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) , which I loved to bits – I adored the relationship between the two protagonists, and the way the time travel plot was so perfectly structured that you could almost here the click as it came together at the end. I had to read it twice. And now I’m having a big reread of all my Sarah MacLean books, which is naughty of me, because I really ought to be writing a review of something completely different…
Aarya: I’m reading an ARC of Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez and I love it so much. It features a billionaire Latinx heroine who offers a marriage of convenience to a European prince/viticulturist because she wants him to impregnate her. He accepts reluctantly because it’s the only way to save his struggling country.
This book is a shining jewel. I’m only three-fourths through so I can’t promise the last quarter will remain perfect. But I’m trying to pace myself and not gobble up this book because I don’t want it to end. The initial animosity is delicious, the authorial voice is magnetic, and I just want to slap these two idiots and make them swear their undying love for each other (this is a compliment!).
Lush Money is a debut but it doesn’t read like one. It’s polished, smart, sexy, and brilliant. I should probably stop praising it so much because I’m not done yet, but I have a gut feeling that it’ll end well.
Update: I finished. I freaking loved it. I’m floating on Cloud 9 but everyone should read it.
Lara Diane: I’m reaching for the comfort re-reads. I’m immersing myself in Fred Vargas’ The Chalk Circle Man ( A | BN | K | G ) . An odd book with odd characters and so much heart. It’s literary marmite – an acquired taste, but if you have acquired that taste, the love is deep and real.
Susan: I’m reading Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey ( A | BN | K | G ), the sequel to their alt-history-with-hippos book River of Teeth. So far it’s quite different in tone, because River of Teeth had at least the BUILD-UP of a caper while Taste of Marrow starts with the characters still caught in the aftermath.
(And for those who haven’t encountered the American Hippo thing and the importance of voting: the initial twitter thread is here or the Tor interview is here.)
I’ve also started listening to the audiobook of Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawke, because melodramatic queer fantasy-historical mystery romances are were I live (seriously, give me your recs) and rereading Jordan L. Hawke’s stuff is comforting.
Elyse: Right now I’m knitting quite a bit and listening to The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. It’s about the major extinction events in geological history but also discusses climate change and what’s happening now. It’s really fascinating, but sometimes it freaks me out a little. Seriously though it provides a really interesting context to what’s happening with climate change without being bleak.
Sarah: I’m reading magazines through my library – Bon Appetit, Cross Stitcher – and cookbooks. It’s two weeks until back to school and the dudes are home from camp, so it’s laundrypalooza over here. I’m also listening to Ekhardt Tolle’s The Power of Now ( A | BN | K | G ) while I stitch, also through the library. I love my local library so much.
Elyse: I love cooking magazines but I hate to cook.
Amanda: My romance reading docket is super light for September, but I have a lot of awesome fantasy and sci-fi waiting for me. Namely The Ten Thousand Doors of January ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and Gideon the Ninth. I’ve preordered Gideon because the first printing is extra goth with black-stained page edges.
Elyse: Ooooooh!
Maya: I just finished Dragon Actually by G.A Aiken ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and the audiobook version of Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh ( A | BN | K | G ) . I’m trying very very hard not to burn through all of Nalini Singh’s books in a few months and am mostly impressed with my self control so far!
I DNFed A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) because of all the lying and stalking by the prince–I was just SO NOT in the mood for that.
I’ve started In a Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) (thanks to Amanda’s heads up on the sale!!!) and I’m about to start the audiobook version of American Spy: A Novel by Lauren Wilkinson. It is narrated by Bahni Turpin who also narrated the The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. I loved the incandescent teenage rage Bahni was able to communicate in The Sun is Also a Star, so I’m super excited to see what she does in this story about a Black woman being sent to spy for the American government in Burkina Faso and help facilitate the coup of a communist leader during the Cold War.
Tara: I’m reading Women in the Shadows by Ann Bannon ( A | BN | K | G ) . It’s the third book in her lesbian pulp Beebo Brinker series, which is helpfully all packaged in a reasonably priced omnibus.
This book is the roughest ride so far, since it includes domestic violence in a lesbian relationship, corrective rape, alcoholism, marriage between a gay man and a lesbian, and I’m sure more that I haven’t hit yet. Even so, it’s so well written that I read three quarters of it last night when I should have gone to bed.
In audio, I’m listening to Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey ( A | BN | K ) , which is the f/f novella that was up for a RITA. It’s light and fun and I’m really enjoying it.
Shana: I’m reading Amish Promises by Leslie Gould ( A | BN | K | G ) and hoping the slow pace will be relaxing. I just finished His Until Midnight by Reese Ryan, which met my modern cowboy needs quite nicely.
I’m supposed to be reading The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding but I’m not in a YA mood right now.
AJ: I’m comfort reading while I recover from a fractured ankle, so right now it’s Beast Behaving Badly by Shelly Laurenston ( A | BN | K | G ) for probably the eighteenth time. If I get a little more headspace to read something new I also have Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) , which I’m super excited about.
Claudia: It’s back to school for my children this week and it’s been quite busy, but in the middle of the chaos I was happy I finally got my mitts on Someone to Honor ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), the newest installment of Mary Balogh’s Westcott series. I rate it among the best in the series so far, and I especially liked the hero, who was an interesting mix of dour and sweet. It’s not for everyone — some may feel it is a bit too slow, but it was exactly what I needed. I continue to enjoy the series’ broader found family/friends theme, one of my favorite in romance.
Tara: I finished Women in the Shadows because I couldn’t not and now I think I need a break before I read the next book, and possibly a cuddle. I’m consoling myself with A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Carrie: I am almost done with Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan. For Lady Trent fans (A Natural History of Dragons series) this picks up the story with her granddaughter as the main character. So good.
Also wading my way through a lot of biographies of emotionally stunted white Victorian men for some freelance jobs I picked up. Oh, J.M. Barrie. So many issues. SO MANY.
How was your reading this month? Let us know in the comments!
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@JJB oh my yes, Cornwall is just so well-captured in Poldark! I love how nature is incorporated to the storytelling. It is plain amazing and I hope the series will have the satisfying ending it deserves. Needless to say, Demelza is awesome and I just want to be friends with her.
I’ve been meaning to start Grantchester, so now that you recommended it I might jump on that too before the next semester starts, I’ve had my eyes on it for a while now.
@Lisa W. I loved Hot Under Her Collar too! It has such a great concept and I am so happy we have some of female priest awesomeness in the romance genre.
@Other Claudia Dating You/Hating You was one of the higlights of my summer reading, I am so happy you enjoyed it too. I’ve also read The Invention of Hugo Cabret years back but haven’t seen the movie, so thanks for the suggestion, I believe it is time for me to do that!
I just got finished UPSTAIRS AT THE WHITE HOUSE: MY LIFE WITH THE FIRST LADIES by J.B. West who started as an usher, then was promoted to chief usher, at the White House through the Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations (he retired right after Nixon was elected). The book was released in 1973, then re-released a few years ago. It was a gentle and affectionate backstage look at how the White House functions and the relationship between First Ladies and their house staff. It made me so nostalgic and sad for a time when the inhabitants of the White House actually respected the office, our history, and our country. J.B West was a true gentleman who is probably turning over in his grave right now.
I’ve just started THE BLACKSMITH QUEEN by G.A. Aiken (a.k.a. Shelly Laurenston). I wasn’t even sure what the book was about when I requested it from Netgalley (female blacksmiths? centaurs?), but with her it doesn’t really matter. These days I’m always in the mood for her blend of rage and over-the-top humor so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.
My “Best of Summer” Reads
June: Oops, Nothing there worth noting!
July: A CONSPIRACY IN BELGRAVIA, Sherry Thomas
THE HOLLOW OF FEAR, Sherry Thomas
Two things about these. A Conspiracy in Belgravia was a re-read, since it had been a while since I had read it, and I wanted a refresher before I went into The Hollow of Fear. I chose this time to do them in audio format. Let me just say, you can have a good writer and a good narrator, but for whatever reason, they are not a good fit. Fortunately, Kate Reading’s narration of the wonderful writing of Sherry Thomas was a great fit, and I cannot recommend enough the audio format of these books. So, Good!
THE DUCHESS DEAL, Tessa Dare
THE GOVERNESS GAME, Tessa Dare
I read the second book first. I came for the morbid little girls and stayed for the delightful snappy repartee.
THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK, Lucy Parker
August: A FAMILY OF STRANGERS, Emilie Richards
PROTECT THE PRINCE, Jennifer Estep
Since this is the second book in the series, you really need to read the first book to truly enjoy this one as much as I did.
EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER, Linda Holmes
Excellent read!
Recent reads ~
— in trying to get some ideas for my monthly art gathering, I read the enjoyable How to Make Hand-Drawn Maps: A Creative Guide with Tips, Tricks, and Projects by Helen Cann.
— read/used a very short book which showed a fairly straight forward process which I used to make a couple of cards. How to Draw NeoPopRealism Color Abstract Images: Ink Background by Nadia Russ
— read two more short books for art group inspiration. The author is from Russia, and the books are in dire need of editing; as proof, the first title is complete as given. Also, in the first book which is clearly written for children, the author spends several pages lambasting two people who she believes did her wrong. (And how often does one get to use the word lambasting?!) How to Draw Without Eraser and How to Draw Advanced NeoPopRealism Ink Images by Nadia Russ
— read this book in its entirety in one day; I recommend it. When All Is Said: A Novel by Anne Griffin
— enjoyed The Mage on the Hill (The Web of Arcana Book 1) by Angel Martinez. This is a romance featuring two men and is, I believe, the start of a series; I’d happily read more.
— Brandon Sanderson’s The Emperor’s Soul was an enjoyable fantasy novella.
— Roomies by Christina Lauren which I enjoyed. It was a fun contemporary romance that had me laughing from time to time.
— Fortune’s Fool (Eterean Empire Book 1) by Angela Boord; this debut fantasy impressed me. If you decide to read the book, be prepared to invest some time as it’s over 700 pages.
— Honor Among Thieves (Honors Book 1) by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre is a young adult science fiction novel which I also enjoyed; I’ve read each of these authors separately but this is the first co-authored book I’ve read by them. I will happily read more in this series.
FYI: There are no tags for this post.
Still hoping to see a direct link to the Whatcha Reading? posts on the Looking for more from SBTB? page.
Who recommended To an Parrish?!? Thank you so much! I started with Small Change which was on special or KU or… a m/f sandwich maker tattoo artist pairing, in to Invitation to the Blues, a musician dealing with depression and anxiety and a mysterious beautiful tattooist (m/m), then my favorite The Middle of Nowhere with an insecure college professor right out of grand school and a handsome kind shy furniture maker, and just finished The Middle of Somewhere. I liked the Philadelphia setting that links the books, and in this case as someone originally from the coast I laughed at the conflation of Minnesota/ Michigan/ Montana, and now as a Midwesterner for 20 years, the lack of differentiation between New York and Philadelphia to someone from Michigan. The last is my least favorite because the hero is a brother of the college professor in The Middle of Nowhere, and he was TERRIBLE to his brother. By the time the book ends I was little more sympathetic to him, but he just couldn’t be completely rehabilitated.
Overall I love this author and highly recommend her books!
Ummm that would be Roan Parrish. Damn that auto correct!
I’m listening to Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig, which is narrated by the author. If you deal with anxiety or depression and/or know and love people who do, I highly recommend it.
I’ve continued my re-read of the Falco mysteries by Lindsey Davis and started on the next series, which is centered on his adopted daughter. I’m enjoying this second series even more than I did Falco and Helena Justina’s adventures, because the narrator is the heroine and also hearing her commentary about her relatives is also entertaining.
I took a short break from Falco to read the latest Kristin Ashley novella, which includes characters from both the Rock Chicks and Dream man series. This made me want to re-read some of the Rock Chick books so I may take a break from ancient Rome and visit Denver for awhile.
Looking forward to the new Shelly Laurenston book too.
Vivi12. I’m so glad you liked Roan Parrish. I was one of several people recommending Small Change when it was on sale. It’s such a great book and series.
Glad to find so many people enjoying books I like. Such as: Linsey Davis mysteries ( I didn’t much like Flavia Albia until the 3rd book or so), The Goblin Emperor (which I reread at least annually) and Sherry Thomas’ Charlotte Holmes books.
Earlier in the summer, I much enjoyed Nora Roberts’ latest, Under Currents. I really like her current focus on the long-term damage that emotional and physical violence can do. As usual, I liked the house decoration, garden building and background community, as well as the protagonists, who were interesting people with real chemistry.
Just finished Natalie Haynes’ A Thousand Ships, the story of nearly every woman involved in the Trojan War. Loved it, especially Penelope’s increasingly acerbic letters to the long-missing Odysseus. Still think Circe is the best book of this type that I’ve read, however.
Just for grins, skipped back the The Count of Monte Cristo. Still a thrilling (and romantic) page turner. But be sure to get an unexpurgated copy!
@Darlynne, I picked up Sworn to the Night because of your comment. I have been having a really hard time getting into anything lately. OMG..it is so good. Totally riveting. Perfect world building. Gaah. I love it so much!
@Sophydc: I’m thrilled and relieved to hear that, thank you! Mine was a where-have-you-been-all-my-life-Mr-Schaefer reaction, I could not get the words in my eyeballs fast enough. And I kept waiting for things to fall apart, for a huge misstep because it couldn’t be that good, right? And it was. Looking forward to many more.
I have been a mystery mood for the last month or so. I am six weeks away from the due date for my first baby and I think there is something soothing in the rhythm of the mysteries I have been reading (all books from different series) – bad things happen, familiar and likeable characters come to deal with the problem and there is final resolution with justice served.
Excellent:
Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn: The seventh in the Chet and Bernie series, this one wasn’t my favorite, but any reading time spent with Chet is time well spent. Chet is a dog and narrates the entire series and is completely and totally hilarious. Instead of being set in the Southwest as usual, this one takes place in DC in the world of politics and espionage.
Very Good:
Your Birth Plan: A Step by Step Guide to Creating and Writing Your Birth Plan by Vanessa J. Merten: The author of this book is also the creator and host of the Pregnancy Podcast which I have found immensely helpful these last few months. A lot of this book repeats what I already heard from her on the podcast, but I found the birth plan samples and especially the templates super helpful when writing my own birth plan.
Death’s Door by James R. Benn: The 7th in the WWII Billy Boyle series – Billy goes behind enemy lines undercover in Vatican City to investigate the death of an American cleric. The research behind this particular book was fascinating – why the Vatican tried to stay neutral, factions in the Vatican that did great humanitarian work, and factions that were pro-Fascist. CW for torture and violence
A Blind Goddess by James R. Benn: The 8th in the WWII Billy Boyle mystery series – this time Billy is back on English soil officially investigating a civilian death at the behest of MI5 and unofficially reopening an investigation into a wrongful charge against a US black soldier. There is also a third mystery that pops up. I thought the plot points involving racial discrimination and segregation as well as violence visited upon people of color in the military was handled somewhat clumsily/clunky. I can’t put my finger on exactly why. Perhaps because the black characters in the book seemed to be stand-ins for all black people rather than individuals? But the author’s note at the end about the research that went into the book was super interesting. CW for off page child sexual abuse, on page violence including violence against children, discussion of mental illness specifically PTSD and the institutionalization of the mentally ill.
Good:
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien: The first in the Noodle Shop mystery series – This book should NOT have worked for me. I hate cozy mysteries where the protagonist does obviously crazy things like breaking and entering, following suspects, and asking potentially dangerous people stupid questions. BUT I loved the main character who works in her family’s noodle restaurant, the main character’s best friend, and the potential love interest introduced in the book. I also loved the community setting of the book taking place in a cluster of Asian stores and restaurants called Asian Village Plaza. I liked the characters enough to add the second in the series to my TBR.
The Bad:
None
So far, in August:
Winter Ignited – Rebecca Zanetti
Good continuation of this apocalyptic/PNR story but of the series, this read as the weakest since the romance didn’t convince me.
Portrait of the Sea and Other Stories – Dylan Thomas
Wonderful prose and writing but really odd stories I wasn’t always in the mood for.
Crossing Hearts – Rebecca Crowley
Such a predictable romance between a soccer player and his translator. I’ve studied translation so I was looking for to see it represented but what a disappointment…ehh this was not engaging.
When the Duke was Wicked – Lorraine Heath
I expected more from this book, considering it’s a follow-up series to another of hers, which I have loved. I hope the next installments are better.
Bay of Sighs – Nora Roberts
Good enough story for the genre and Nora’s talent but her recent work has become quite… automatic and too polished, I’d say.
Love and Loyalty – Tere Michaels
Interesting m/m story but the end was not what I expected of the main character, so poised and conscious the whole book…
Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold – Ellen O’Connell
Late to the “party” but I liked this one. Very sweet despite dragging in some parts.
Runway Vampire – Lynsay Sands
More of the same all the previous installments of the Argeneau series have been, so unless someone’s a fan it probably would look repetitive but I like to know what I’ll get with these books.
Never Alone – Elizabeth Haynes
Interesting thriller but for me this read more like an exercise in keeping secrets until it’s reveal time rather than a real thriller story with action always on going.
A House Without Windows – Nadia Hashimi
I was looking for some serious drama portraying the role of women in Afghanistan and despite it’s strong cultural scenes/information, the fiction part wasn’t as great as I hoped for.
Under Locke – Mariana Zapata
I like the author’s writing and that was why I picked this book, despite having motorcycle themed stuff, a type of book/sub-genre I avoid.
Winter Wolf – SP Wayne
Sweet m/m with a likable and adorable main character but I was not aware this was part f trilogy, even more so one of those divided into three parts as opposed to three books working as a set. For me the lack of ending was too unfair.
Dancing in the Rain – Kelly Jamieson
This romance has drama, has sweet moments, has realistic behaviors and situations… it was very good but for me lacked some more romantic scenes and “magic” to balance the heavier stuff.
Death of Darkness – Dianne Duvall
What a great installment featuring a key character in the series. However, I hoped for a different type of romance, something that would be developed in a more special way instead of the too easy choice the author did (in my POV).
The Bride Test – Helen Hoang
Sweet and magical like any fairytale like story could be. It bothered me more that the beginning of the romance wasn’t more awkward (because of how it started) than the unrealistic disney-like ending.
The Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
Good “classic” and many interesting passages to think about. It was not as memorable as I imagined it would be.
Currently reading Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews and will probably read another two books until the end of the month.
@Sonia, are there any romances featuring translation that you do recommend? I very much like Lyn Gala’s Claiming series in which translation plays a role.
Hello Kareni.
Sadly, I haven’t read many books where translation is important for the plot. I thought the one I mentioned would be good (that’s why I had it in my TBR) but not only was the story not very interesting for me, the translation part was only a means to an end (basically to justify why the translator heroine had to be around the hero and in soccer the way this was portrayed didn’t seem credible, at least thinking about how it works in Europe, maybe in the US it is closer to that reality).
I’ll try Gala’s stories one day, thank you for that mention!
@Kareni and Sonia: There is “The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics” by Olivia Waite, in which one of the heroines answers an ad by the other heroine to translate a book. It’s not spoken-type translation, but it’s still a prominent part of the plot, given that it’s what brings the two to meet and start to develop Feels and lurve.
Currently reading:
THE FRIEND ZONE – Abby Jimenez – funny so far! I’m liking this one.
CALIFORNIA GIRLS – Susan Mallery – just barely started but seems like another solid entry in the Mallery oeuvre.
Parenting With Love and Logic & How To Talk So Little Kids Will Listen – parenting books, sigh.
Recently finished:
SURFSIDE SISTERS – Nancy Thayer. I generally like Thayer, love Nantucket/small beach town books, and she does a good job with female friendships. I thought the lead in this was one was a little too perfect (definitely a Mary Sue) and I didn’t like where the romance went – I was not cheering for who she ended up with. While I read this one pretty compulsively I don’t think it was her best effort. It just fell flat and felt like wish fulfillment from when you’re 19…which is just really not where I’m at these days.
Started, didn’t finish:
FIX HER UP – Tessa Bailey – baseball player hero and clown heroine? No. Ugh. No. Also as mentioned above the older brother is awful.
A PRINCE ON PAPER – Alyssa Cole – my loan ran out before I finished this so it’s back on hold. I’m having more trouble getting into this one than the others in the series, for some reason. Maybe just not the right mood?
NOT ANOTHER FAMILY WEDDING – Jackie Lau – loan also ran out before I finished – won’t bother trying again.
Can’t wait for my hold to come in!
SAPPHIRE FLAMES – Ilona Andrews – out today, I may break down and buy this one.
@HeatherS, thanks so much for the recommendation of The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics.
@Sonia, I hope you’ll enjoy the Lyn Gala series.
I just happened to look at my comment #36, and realized I had conflated the titles of 2 different Kelly Bowen books. Sorry! The series titles are easy to confuse. The first one, “A Duke in the Night”, was good, but I was talking about the most recent one I read, “A Rogue By Night” which I think is the best. The hero is definitely not a duke, he’s a doctor, and so is the heroine. There is lots of surgical AND smuggling competence porn and a clever solution to the problem blocking their HEA.
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